Many teams treat meetings as isolated events. A calendar block. A place to cover updates. But meetings are part of a system. They create the loop through which decisions, accountability, and expectations move.
When meetings feel chaotic or draining, it is usually because the system around them is broken. Inputs are unclear. Decisions are not documented. Follow through is inconsistent. People show up unprepared because there is no shared rhythm.
If you view meetings as a system, the questions become simple:
- What enters the meeting
- What leaves the meeting
- How are decisions tracked
- How is accountability created
- How does this connect to the next loop
Strong meeting systems reduce anxiety and speed up decision making.
Bad meetings are not fixed inside the meeting. They are fixed in the system that surrounds them.